By: Ashton Newton Staff Writer
2011 brought us the end of JK Rowling’s magical world of Harry Potter in cinemas with “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.”
Since then, fans have been hungry for new Harry Potter material. Occasionally, on her website, Pottermore, Rowling will deliver with a new short story focusing in on a specific character.
Warner Brothers announced in 2013 that Rowling would make her screenwriting debut with the new Harry Potter spinoff “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” due out in 2016, which is set to kick off an entirely new series set in the wonderful world of Harry Potter.
The film follows Newt Scamander, played by Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”), a British wizard who arrives in 1920’s New York for a meeting with the Magical Congress for the United States of America.
Scamander carries around a briefcase filled with magical and dangerous creatures, and the story begins when the creatures are set free, threatening relations between the American wizards and the “no-maj” citizens (as muggles are called in America).
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is a common textbook in the Harry Potter universe. Scamander is the author, detailing the qualities of creatures in the wizarding world, and future films will explain how he became so knowledgeable.
After the box office failures that Warner Brothers faced with “Pan” and “Entourage” this year, the studio is really hoping for a 2016 homerun.
With the love that fans have for the Harry Potter series, allowing them to dive back into the universe once more should benefit Warner Brothers greatly.
Rowling is also coming out with a play titled “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” which premiers in London July of 2016 and is called “The eighth Harry Potter story.”
The play takes place over two parts meant to be watched in the same day, and it follows Harry Potter, now an overworked Ministry of Magic employee, and his son Albus Potter, who struggles with the weight of being Harry’s son.
As of right now, the only confirmed showing is in London, but with a subtitle like “the eighth Harry Potter story,” the play is bound to come to a theater near you eventually.
Fans can keep up with all the latest Harry Potter news on Pottermore. Rowling is also active on Twitter, where she loves answering Harry Potter questions.
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” will be released in November of 2016.
